The present invention relates to streaming information. More particularly, the present invention relates to recording streaming information and retrieving the stored information for selective playback.
With advances in technology including faster processors, improved graphics, and so forth, a desktop computer can easily receive and present streaming information to the user. Common examples of streaming information include streaming video and audio delivered over a wide area network, such as the Internet. For instance, television broadcast signals that would otherwise be transmitted wirelessly using satellites, television transmitters, etc., are encoded and made available for transmission to remote computer users via the Internet. Upon request by the desktop computer user, the encoded data packets containing audio and video data are sent to the desktop computer user sequentially. Upon receipt, the data packets are decoded and processed by the desktop computer in order to render the streaming information to the user in as close to real time as possible. After rendering or presentation, the data packets are discarded.
Although processing streaming information in the manner described above is useful, there exist a number of shortcomings. Currently, streaming information is provided at the request of each desktop computer. Thus, each user must form a separate connection with the source of streaming information in order to receive the desired streaming information. Once initiated, the user is unable to control the manner in which streaming information is rendered. For instance, the user cannot temporarily xe2x80x9cpausexe2x80x9d the incoming streaming information in order to perform another task and then resume viewing when desired. Likewise, the user is unable to repeat a previously rendered portion since the data packets are discarded, or skip ahead since the data packets have not been received.
There thus is an ongoing need to improve the manner in which streaming information is rendered. Although described above with respect to a desktop computer and streaming information received from the Internet, the improved process should be applicable to other information appliances or computing devices and other forms of streaming information.
An information appliance for receiving streaming information includes a buffer, a writer module which receives blocks of streaming information and writes the blocks to the buffer, and a reader module which selectively reads the blocks from the buffer.